Convergence Body & Dance

Convergence Body & Dance occupies a 5,000 square-foot studio in Brentwood and was founded in 2005 with a focus on individualised dance learning. The studio combines group classes, private lessons, and a range of social dance events, all built around listening to what students actually want to achieve and how they learn best.

The teaching team are all competitive and social ballroom dancers with deep experience in the form. Roxanne Maier is the owner and an accomplished coach, choreographer and certified GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® instructor, with a background as a professional competitive ballroom and Latin dancer. Robert McKenney started dancing competitive ballroom at age 10 and has travelled extensively to Argentina to study with masters including Luciana Valle, Pablo Inza and Gustavo Naveira; he dances professional Latin with his partner Hanna Pierce and regularly trains with top ballroom coaches. Oritza Nodar Rodriguez, recently immigrated from Cuba, is classically trained in ballet, modern and folkloric dance and danced for 6 years at the Tropicana Club in Havana, with teaching and performance experience in China and Russia. Deepika Gomes trained and competed in ballroom competitions in India and the US and has taught cha cha, samba, rumba, jive, salsa, bachata, merengue and swing over the last 5 years. Liz Schwarzkopf started dancing at age 5 and is fluent in social swing and blues styles, Argentine tango, salsa and various ballroom dances; she has studied tango for the last 6 years including intensives in Argentina. Carter Maier, the studio's chiropractor, has been dancing ballroom and social dances since 1996, discovered Argentine tango in 1997 and has studied multiple times in Argentina with old masters and rising stars; he is active in the St Louis tango community, DJs for milongas and works with the APDA to help those with Parkinson's move better.

The studio hosts regular social dance events. Bring it & Swing it West Coast Swing Social runs every first Friday from 8pm to 11pm with DJ Ruth Gilbert and Greg Wolf from Destination Swing, cover $10 per person, BYOB. Tango Lounge meets every second Saturday from 8pm to 11pm for Argentine tango, vals and milonga with a small buffet of fruit, cheese and crackers, BYOB, $10 per person at the door, cash or Venmo. Salsa El Tercero runs every third Saturday from 9pm with DJ Sergio Espana and guest DJs; no alcohol but you may bring your own soft drinks or water, $10 per person at the door, cash or Venmo.

Beyond dance classes, the studio offers GYROTONIC® equipment and access to chiropractic care as part of a wider mind-body wellness approach. The studio's philosophy centres on helping students improve coordination, balance and stability while building community with people from diverse backgrounds.

Contact the studio to discuss your goals and what type of learning works best for you—they'll guide you toward the right combination of private lessons, group classes or social dancing to get you moving with confidence.

Six experienced instructors: Roxanne Maier (owner, coach, choreographer, GYROTONIC® certified), Robert McKenney (ballroom and Latin, trained in Argentina), Oritza Nodar Rodriguez (ballet, modern, folkloric, formerly of Havana's Tropicana Club), Deepika Gomes (multiple ballroom and Latin styles, competed in India and US), Liz Schwarzkopf (swing, blues, Argentine tango, trained in Argentina), and Carter Maier DC (ballroom, Argentine tango, DJs for milongas).

The studio was founded on the principle of individualised learning and explicitly works with students of all levels; they focus on making your first dance feel enjoyable rather than like hard work.